1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for transporting pipe. More particularly, the invention relates to a device for transporting drill pipe wherein the device is stackable and capable of being used in several modes of transportation.
2. Description of Related Art
A large volume of drilling pipe is used in oilfield drilling operations. As wells are drilled to ever greater depths, the number of sections of pipe required is continually increasing. The pipe is typically shipped loose and held together with slings. The modes of transportation for drill pipe are many, especially when the final destination is an offshore drilling rig. Starting from a pipe yard, the pipe will often be transported by both truck and boat before reaching the rig.
It is crucial that the drill pipe be kept stable and secure when it is transported. If the pipe load shifts on either a workboat or a truck the results can include an overturned trailer or a sunken vessel which could cause injury to workers, destruction of equipment and delayed delivery times. Many man-hours are expended in transporting individual drill pipe sections from one mode of transportation to another. The offloading of pipe from the boat to the rig is inherently dangerous, especially when the seas are rough. It would be a valuable savings in man-hours and a marked safety achievement if multiple sections of drill pipe could be moved in a systematic, uniform, and safe manner. Although utilizing the pipe basket will result in an increase in freight expenditures, the overall cost savings associated with utilizing the pipe basket will far outweigh the additional freight expenditure due to the pipe basket's safety advantages.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a modular pipe basket which is capable of holding multiple pipe sections.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a basket which can be stacked on another basket.
It is another object of the present invention to protect the ends of the pipe from damage.
It is another object of the invention to provide a basket which securely holds the pipe sections within the basket while maintaining the center of gravity at approximately the midpoint of the basket.
It is another object of the invention to provide a basket which has a balanced four point sling pickup system to enable stable lifting of the pipe basket with a crane or other like lifting means.
It is another object of the invention to provide a basket that will enable lifting of the pipe basket with a forklift or other like lifting means.
It is another object of the invention to provide a basket which has open side access to enable loading or unloading of pipe sections from the basket with either a forklift, crane or other lifting means.
It is another object of the invention to provide a basket that is compatible with truck and boat transportation and which can be moved between these two modes of transportation with relative ease.
It is another object of the invention to provide a basket which can include at least one container or bin for pipe thread protectors.